


come on and slam (dunk your friends)

by liar_iago



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, please dont take this seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-27 16:37:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1717373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liar_iago/pseuds/liar_iago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After defeating the Rakuzan team, Kagami finds himself so deep in the Zone that he can't leave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	come on and slam (dunk your friends)

**Author's Note:**

> this is literally the stupidest thing i have ever written. i'm sorry.

After Rakuzan, Kagami was quiet. Even Kuroko’s voice could be heard mingling with the shouts of triumph exploding from the Seirin basketball team, but Kagami did not speak once, and the fierce intensity his eyes had held during the game did not fade. 

It was with this same intensity that he scrubbed himself in the locker room showers several minutes later, to Kuroko’s mild concern when he looked over and saw that Kagami was leaving patches of red all over his skin. 

“Maybe he just needs some time to cool down,” said Hyuuga as the team watched Kagami dress himself with precise, efficient movements, all while staring holes into his locker. “He pushed himself pretty hard against Akashi.” 

“Kagami-kun...are you all right?” said Kuroko. 

Kagami closed the locker sharply and turned to face the others, eyes wide. 

“I think I’m stuck in the Zone.” 

\--

“Wait--he did what?” 

“He said he was ‘stuck’ in the Zone-”

“No, no.” Riko waved her hand. “What did you say he did after that?” 

“He grabbed his stuff and ran,” said Hyuuga. “Presumably home.”

“Faster than most people can bike,” put in Kiyoshi. 

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it,” said Izuki.

“This could be troublesome,” Kuroko added quietly. 

“He lives miles away from here! And how can you be stuck in the Zone,” said Riko. “It’s just a state of mind, isn’t it?” 

“That could very well be the reason why he can’t seem to shake it off,” said Kiyoshi. “All we can really do is wait and see if he’s all right tomorrow, right?” 

\--

When Kuroko arrived at school the next morning, he found that Kagami had been the first one there--something that had never happened before. 

Kagami sat with his back straight, looking awake and alert like he had the night before, but Kuroko noticed right away the dark bags under his eyes. 

“Kagami-kun?” 

Kagami jumped. “Kuroko--how long have you been there?” 

“I just got here,” said Kuroko. _For once._ “Did you have trouble sleeping last night?” 

“I think there’s something wrong with me,” said Kagami. “I literally can’t get out of the Zone. I spent all night last night replaying the Rakuzan game in my head. I got up at four and ran twelve kilometers, then shot hoops until seven and sprinted the entire way here.” 

“I see,” said Kuroko slowly, as if he understood what was going on. “Well, maybe you’ll be able to focus in class for once.”

As it turned out, Kagami indeed spent the entire class period watching the chalkboard intensely, although Kuroko noticed halfway through the session that he hadn’t written a single thing down. He was also tapping his foot with increasing frequency, until everyone in the room was shooting him annoyed looks.

“Kagami-kun,” began the teacher, and Kagami stood abruptly. 

Kuroko had just enough time to think _oh, no_ before Kagami said very clearly and very seriously, 

“I need to play basketball.” 

It was silent. 

_Well, that wasn’t so bad…_

From the next desk over, Takegawa burst out laughing. “What was that, Kagami? You really do think about nothing but basketball.”

Kagami turned and eyed Takegawa with an odd stare that Kuroko couldn’t help but feel like he’d seen before, and it wasn’t until he reached out and grabbed Takegawa by the head that Kuroko recognized it as the way Kagami looked at the basketball when he was on the court. 

“Kagami-kun, wait…!” 

Before anyone could comprehend what was going on, Kagami leapt into the air and slam dunked Takegawa into the trash can. 

“Why is everything round suddenly a basketball to you,” said Kuroko incredulously as the teacher frantically demanded assistance over the phone. 

Kagami murmured something that sounded like “Aomine” in reply before turning on his heel and dashing out of the classroom. 

“Kuroko-kun!” called the teacher as he moved to follow him. 

“Sorry, Sensei. Please don’t be too harsh on him,” said Kuroko as he gathered his things and headed out.

\--

“You just missed him!” said Momoi, tending to the scrape on Aomine’s forehead. “Tetsu-kun, what on earth is going on with Kagami-kun?” 

Kuroko stumbled as a panicked Touou student glanced by him, and Aomine reached out a hand to steady him. “What on earth happened here? Did they evacuate the entire school?”

“It was crazy! Dai-chan and I were just sitting in lecture, and suddenly Kagami-kun crashed straight through the wall into our classroom, demanding for a game of basketball,” said Momoi.

“He crashed _through_ the wall?” 

“I’m not entirely sure how the fire started,” continued Momoi. “As soon as Kagami-kun spotted Dai-chan, he reached out for his head like it was a basketball, and Dai-chan ran away while shouting things like ‘the only one who can slam dunk me is me!’ and I ended up following them.” 

“I didn’t run away,” snapped Aomine. “He wanted a game, so I was leading him to the gym.” 

“Did you play?” 

“Yeah! You should have seen it, Tetsu-kun; Kagami-kun totally _wrecked_ \--”

“Satsuki!” 

“Where did he go? Did he say?” 

“Well, he might have mentioned something about finding Midorima-kun?” said Momoi, brow furrowed. “Tetsu-kun, is something happening with Kagami-kun?” 

“He seems to be trapped in the Zone,” said Kuroko. He turned his gaze towards Aomine. “Has this ever happened to you, Aomine-kun?” 

“What? You can’t be stuck in the Zone. No one should have the stamina to be able to activate it for longer than a few minutes,” said Aomine, scowling at Kuroko like he was crazy. 

“Hm.” With nothing left to say, Kuroko left Touou and headed for the nearest bus stop to make his way towards Shuutoku High. 

\--

Midorima squinted hard. 

“It’s me, Midorima-kun.” 

“Ah, Kuroko. Here for Kagami, I presume?” 

“He’s already gone,” said Takao. “Ran off after Shin-chan chucked today’s lucky item at him.” He held up a slightly dented lunch tray. 

“Where are your glasses?” Did he try to slam dunk you as well? Kuroko wanted to ask, but he couldn’t bring himself to say such words out loud. 

“Funny story, actually…” 

“Takao…” 

“Kagami blocked a shot Shin-chan was making, and whacked the ball straight into his face--” 

“Takao!” 

“Are you all right?” said Kuroko, belatedly noticing that Midorima’s nose seemed to be bruised.

“I’m fine,” said Midorima. “Kagami, on the other hand, has clearly been afflicted with something serious.” 

“He’s been stuck in the Zone since last night’s game,” said Kuroko. “It seems to be getting worse as the day goes on.” 

“You can’t be serious,” said Midorima. 

“Do you have any other means of explaining how he apparently burst through a wall of plaster and defeated Aomine-kun effortlessly in a one-on-one match?” said Kuroko. 

“He went to Touou? What’s going on,” said Midorima. 

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” said Kuroko patiently. “Do you know where he might be headed right now?” 

“Judging by his actions, I believe it would be safe to assume that he plans on challenging the members of the Generation of Miracles. Kaijou is the closest school from here,” said Midorima. 

“Oh, no,” said Kuroko. Kise was probably the least equipped to handle Kagami while he was so deep into the Zone. 

“Good luck,” Takao called to Kuroko as he raced out of the Shuutoku gym. 

“Thanks,” Kuroko threw over his shoulder. He was going to need it. 

\--

Kise was in tears. 

“He’s already gone, isn’t he,” said Kuroko. And he’d run all the way here from the bus stop, too. 

Kasamatsu nodded. “Managed to cause plenty of trouble before he left without a word. I hope you have some sort of explanation as to just why your ace suddenly charged in on us during practice and proceeded to dunk _our_ ace through the hoop head-first.” 

Kuroko’s eyes widened. “He...actually did that?” 

“Kurokocchi…” sobbed Kise, noticing him then and reaching out. 

Kuroko dodged away, but handed Kise a handkerchief. 

“You haven’t been feeding him any weird stuff, have you?” said Kasamatsu. “No ordinary human should be able to _throw_ another person like that.” 

“He’s not on steroids, if that’s what you’re suggesting” said Kuroko adamantly. 

Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow and waited for Kuroko’s explanation. 

“He’s…” Kuroko sighed. This was starting to get old. “He’s in the Zone and he can’t get out.” 

Kasamatsu continued staring at Kuroko as if he hadn’t heard him, clearly unimpressed.

“I’m sorry, but I’m actually being serious right now,” said Kuroko. “He hasn’t calmed down since last night’s game. In fact, he seems to be going in deeper and deeper with every passing hour.” 

“Give me a break here, kid,” scoffed Kasamatsu. “Have you been reading too much Jump manga or something--what?” Kise was tugging on his jersey, and Kasamatsu helped him to his feet with a sigh. 

“I saw it,” mumbled Kise, who seemed to have calmed down for the most part. “He definitely had the look in his eyes.” 

“This is ridiculous,” said Kasamatsu. “You people are crazy.”

Kuroko inclined his head. “Sorry for bothering you, Kasamatsu-san. I’ll be sure to bring Kagami-kun back and have him apologize properly.” 

Kasamatsu clicked his tongue. “Just make sure he doesn’t get himself hurt out there.” 

“I’ll try.” 

“And _you!_ ” Kasamatsu snarled, jabbing a finger at Kise; Kuroko took this as his cue to make his retreat. “That’s one extra lap around the gym for every drop of snot you got on my jersey…” 

\--

By the time Kuroko arrived at Yosen, their gym was already empty except for Murasakibara, Himuro, and a slightly bent basketball hoop, which was just fine with him--except that Kagami wasn’t there. 

Still, it was fortunate that Murasakibara seemed to have escaped unscathed, although his brow was deeply furrowed as he stuffed snack after snack into his mouth. 

“I was wondering when you would arrive,” said Himuro with a small smile. He held several deflated basketballs in his arms and continued to gather the ones that were still scattered about the court. “I’m afraid you’re a bit too late, though.” 

Kuroko leaned over to catch his breath. “So he’s already gone to Rakuzan?” 

“He’s not going to Rakuzan,” mumbled Murasakibara through a mouthful of cracker. 

“I managed to direct Taiga’s attention elsewhere because I thought it might make him stop to think for a minute, but he ended up taking off without a second thought,” said Himuro. 

“Where did he go?” 

Himuro hesitated, and Murasakibara averted his gaze. 

“I told him that maybe some of the guys back home would be a better match for him than Akashi,” said Himuro. “I figured that it would stump him, since he had no way of getting to L.A., and that maybe Atsushi and I could hold him down while he was distracted…” 

“He’s going to America? That’s not possible,” said Kuroko. “That’s _literally_ impossible.” 

Himuro had a patient smile on his face. “You’ve been chasing him around all day, from the looks of it. Do you really think terms like ‘impossible’ even mean anything to him anymore?” 

Kuroko took a moment to register the meaning of Himuro’s words. “Have you seen something like this happen before?” 

“No, but…” Himuro gestured, and Kuroko followed him to the spot below the bent basketball hoop. 

The floor was scorched, as if someone had launched a firework there, and at the center of the sooty remains was what could only be described as a crater, roughly the size and shape of a typical basketball player’s shoe. Wordlessly, Himuro pointed in the direction of gym’s back exit, and Kuroko saw an entire line of craters zig-zagging up to the steel door, which appeared to have been blown off its hinges. 

“This is getting out of hand,” was all Kuroko could say. 

“I’m just glad we got out of it alive,” said Himuro. “Well, Atsushi has suffered a twisted ankle, but he’s okay.”

“I will be after I’ve had some more Umaibo,” put in Murasakibara. “Maybe around ten or so.” 

“We’ll get some on the way home.” Himuro finished collecting the decimated basketballs, threw them away, and turned to Kuroko. “So? What will you do?” 

“I...have no idea,” said Kuroko. 

“Think you could beat him to America on a plane?” 

“Who said anything about going to America?” said Kuroko. He’d never even left the prefecture; as if he was going to hop onto a plane to the other side of the world like it was the natural thing to do. 

Both Kuroko and Himuro jumped at the sound of Kuroko’s phone chiming loudly. 

“Kuroko! Where are you?” 

“Hyuuga-senpai?” 

“Is Kagami there?” 

“No,” said Kuroko. “I couldn’t catch up to him.” 

“Has he really been going to all the other schools? Where is he now?”

“He’s…going to America.” 

At the other end of the line, Hyuuga said nothing. Kuroko could hear him breathing softly into the receiver, and he shuffled his feet. 

“Kuroko,” said Hyuuga quietly after nearly an entire minute of silence. “You do realise we’ve got a serious situation on our hands, don’t you?” 

“I know,” said Kuroko. 

Hyuuga sighed. “If this were anyone else, I wouldn’t be able to believe them. Where are you right now?” 

“I’m at Yosen,” said Kuroko. “Senpai--” 

“Don’t move, okay? We’ll meet you there.” Hyuuga hung up before Kuroko could reply. 

_We?_

“Your captain?” said Himuro.

Kuroko nodded. 

Himuro smiled. “Taiga sure knows how to cause trouble, doesn’t he? I’m glad he has a team like Seirin, though. You really do look after him well.”

“It’s...nothing,” said Kuroko, but Himuro’s smile just grew. 

“To him, it’s everything.” 

\--

“Has anyone here ever been on a plane?” said Riko. 

The Seirin basketball team looked up at the flight schedule being projected on the screen above them. 

“I went to Hawaii on vacation once,” said Kiyoshi. “When I was around four or five years old…” 

“It’s a shame the others couldn’t come along,” said Izuki. “I bet they would have liked to see L.A.” 

“None of the others had valid passports,” said Hyuuga, turning to Mitobe. “We should be enough to handle whatever situation comes up, don’t you think?” 

Mitobe nodded. 

“Shall we, then?” said Riko. 

\--

 

“I can’t believe this is really happening,” muttered Hyuuga as they boarded a flight going straight to L.A. an hour later. 

“I think this will be a fun and enlightening experience for all of us whether or not we get Kagami back,” said Kiyoshi. “Ah...not that I’m saying we won’t find him…Anyway, let’s just have some fun!”

“Don’t go spouting your lines at irrelevant times, moron,” grumbled Hyuuga. 

“Sixteen hours trapped in a flying death machine with the noisiest people on the team,” sighed Riko. “Great.” 

“Aww, come on, coach!” cut in Izuki. “Having no one to talk to for an entire flight would be just _plane_ boring! Haha, good job, me--”

Riko dug her elbow into Izuki’s gut, effectively silencing him, and turned to Kuroko with a bright smile. “What do you have planned to keep yourself entertained for the trip, Kuroko-kun? Nothing that would cause trouble for the other passengers, I trust.”

Kuroko raised a sleeping mask in reply. “I hear that sleeping during a long flight can help you combat jet lag.” 

“Hey, that’s pretty clever,” said Riko. “Maybe we should all try it. We’ll need to be alert and full of energy if we want to find Kagami quickly...” 

“What the hell!” Hyuuga shouted from across the row. “You totally cheated right there, Kiyoshi!” 

“I did not,” replied Kiyoshi in a calm but equally loud voice. “My rook has been there the entire time--you just haven’t been paying attention. You’ve been watching, haven’t you, Mitobe?”

Mitobe shrugged and waved his hand in something that might have been denial, sweating slightly as the other passengers shot disapproving looks at them. 

“Hey,” said Riko, stonefaced, and Hyuuga and Kiyoshi flinched at the tone of her voice. “Are you guys trying to cause even more trouble for me this week? Is it not enough that we’re already going to America to find that no-good ace of ours? _Mmm?_ ” 

“F-forgive me, esteemed Coach Aida,” stammered Hyuuga, and Kiyoshi just laughed weakly. 

The flight was long and draining, and Kuroko found that he managed to get only a couple of hours of sleep in as the seats were profoundly uncomfortable. 

After spending forever going through customs and the like, they finally left the airport and stepped onto the L.A. streets.

“Where do we go from here?” said Hyuuga.

“Should we call a taxi…?” 

“Don’t worry about that!” said Riko with a big grin. “I called up Alex-san just before we left on our flight, and she agreed to come pick us up!” 

“You have her number?” said Kuroko. 

“Yep! She gave it to me before she left in case we ever needed her help with anything related to Kagami.” 

“Are you sure that’s the only reason she gave you her number?” said Izuki with a sly smile. 

The expressionless look Riko gave Izuki was enough to shut him up, and Hyuuga and Kiyoshi snickered as the color drained from his face. 

“Hey!” A massive SUV pulled up to the curb and Alex Garcia waved at them through the open window. 

“She would have an obnoxiously huge car like that,” said Hyuuga. 

“So the driver’s seat really is on the other side in America, huh,” remarked Kiyoshi as the team hopped in. 

“So, what’s the story?” said Alex. 

“Well, a couple of nights ago, we played in a game against Rakuzan during Inter-High. Kagami-kun was really deep into the Zone, and since then he hasn’t quite...been the same,” said Riko. 

“He’s stuck in the Zone,” said Kuroko for the fifth time that day. 

“Hmm? That sure sounds like Taiga!” said Alex, laughing. “How did he get here all on his own?” 

“He ran,” said Kuroko. 

“Hm?” said Alex again, this time with her eyebrows raised. 

“He ran. Or swam. Probably both, depending on the situation.” 

Alex chuckled. “Taiga didn’t tell me you had a sense of humor.” 

“He’s really deep into the Zone,” was the only explanation Kuroko had. 

“Alex-san, there’s a chance that Kagami-kun has gone looking for some of his old friends,” said Riko. “Do you think you could take us to the neighborhood where he used to live?” 

“Sure,” said Alex. “It’s near my home, too--just a couple of miles away from here.”

“So what are we going to do when we find him?” said Kiyoshi. “Is there some sort of plan?” 

“We subdue him,” said Riko. “Using any means possible, of course. Teppei, Mitobe-kun, I’m counting on you!” 

“How is that a plan,” said Hyuuga, unimpressed.

“Well, then what’s your plan?” snapped Riko. 

“I don’t have one yet, but I’m still pretty sure yours isn’t going to work!” retorted Hyuuga

“Then you’d better think of one quickly before we find ourselves caught up in a situation we can’t deal with!” 

“Somehow I feel like it’s already a bit too late for that,” cut in Izuki, pointing out towards the front of the car. 

Alex brought the SUV to an abrupt stop as they all spotted a figure in the distance, approaching at an alarming speed. “Is that…?” 

“Should we get out of the way?” said Kiyoshi. 

“Ah! Shuuzou!” Alex leaned out of her window as she noticed someone turn the corner and walk right into Kagami’s path. “Hey! Get out of the way!” 

“Nijimura-san?” said Kuroko, recognising the former Teikou basketball team captain right away. 

“Kagami’s gonna hit him!” said Hyuuga, and the team scrambled out of the car to warn him. 

Nijimura noticed the commotion and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. 

“Hey,” he said. “Is that really you, Kuroko?” 

“Nijimura-san, behind you!” 

“Hm?” 

Kagami was at his back in an instant--

Kuroko blinked, and it was over. 

“Oh,” said Nijimura. “Was this your friend, Kuroko?” 

“ _My ace!_ ” Riko lamented. 

Kagami lay on his back, out cold and sporting what appeared to be the imprint of a shoe on his cheek. 

“Misdirection,” concluded Izuki, and Hyuuga socked him in the arm. 

“As if, dumbass.”

“Are these your new teammates?” Nijimura said. “Seirin High, right?” 

“Hey, you know each other?” said Alex. “That saves me the trouble of introducing you!” 

“Why are we acting like Kagami didn’t just get one-hit K.O.’d faster than the human eye can follow,” muttered Riko. 

“Nijimura-san is skilled at eliminating his opponents quickly and effectively,” said Kuroko. 

“Is he a basketball player or an assassin?!”

After Nijimura introduced himself and shook hands with everyone, he invited them to his apartment and offered to carry Kagami as an apology for knocking him out. 

“So if it’s not a game, what brings you guys to L.A.?” he said as he lifted Kagami effortlessly over his shoulder. 

The team exchanged glances before all eyes fell on Kuroko, silently urging him to speak. Cowards. 

Kuroko sighed and ran a hand over his face. 

“We had a game a couple of days ago…” 

\--

“This tea is great, Shuuzou! What is it?” said Alex, refilling her cup. 

“I’m glad you like it, Alex-san. It’s an herbal mix I got from a vendor in Chinatown. My father is fond of it, and it seems to restore his energy. I make it for him often,” replied Nijimura. 

“So you were the captain of Kuroko’s middle school team, huh?” said Riko. “You’re even tougher than I imagined you would be.” 

Nijimura laughed. “Well, it didn’t take much for them to overtake me in the end. It sounds like they’re all doing okay, though. I was relieved to hear that from you, Kuroko.” 

Kuroko nodded. 

“How’s Taiga doing?” said Alex.

“He’s awake, but he hasn’t really said much,” said Kuroko. “I don’t think he remembers what happened.” 

He turned, and they followed him down the hall.

Kagami sat with his back against the headboard, propped up by a few pillows. “Hey, guys,” he said as they piled into the room. 

“How are you feeling?” said Kuroko. 

Kagami shrugged. “Same as I was when you asked me a minute ago? Tired, not sure what happened. Also--will someone please tell me why my face hurts like hell?” 

“He seems to be all right physically,” said Riko after looking over him briefly. “Some fatigue, obviously, but nothing that can’t be fixed with a couple days of bedrest. It’s kind of amazing that he’s completely unhurt. Well--except for his face, of course.” 

“How much do you remember?” said Kiyoshi. 

“I...we beat Rakuzan last night. And then this morning…” Kagami blanched. “I tried to slam dunk Aomine.” 

At the back of the room, Alex snorted, and the others struggled to contain their laughter. 

“Is that all you remember?” pushed Riko.

“Pretty much,” murmured Kagami. “What the hell happened?” 

Kuroko squeezed the bridge of his nose. Now that Kagami had been properly recovered with (relatively) minimal damage, Kuroko could feel the the exhaustion he’d been pushing back for the past thirty hours weighing down on him and he let out a deep sigh. 

“You have a lot of apologies to make.”


End file.
